Nieul-lès-Saintes
| Nieul-lès-Saintes | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | Saintes | |
| Canton | Saint-Porchaire | |
| Community association | Charente-Arnoult-Cœur de Saintonge | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 46 ′ N , 0 ° 44 ′ W | |
| height | 19-68 m | |
| surface | 20.41 km 2 | |
| Residents | 1,252 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 61 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 17810 | |
| INSEE code | 17262 | |
 Nieul-lès-Saintes - Saint-Martin Church |
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Nieul-lès-Saintes is a western French municipality with 1252 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine .
location
Nieul-lès-Saintes is about 40 meters above sea level. d. M. at a distance of about ten kilometers (driving distance) west of Saintes in the middle of the cultural landscape of the Saintonge . The city of Cognac is about 40 kilometers to the east.
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 636 | 569 | 763 | 953 | 975 | 979 | 1221 |
The town's population grew significantly because of its proximity to Saintes and the construction of a new housing estate at the end of the 1980s.
economy
Agriculture (grain and wine) still plays the major role in the economic life of the commune, which is part of the Fins Bois wine region in the Cognac region.
history
No specific information is published about the history of Nieul-lès-Saintes. However, the history of the place is likely to be closely linked to that of Saintes.
Attractions
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Nieul-lès-Saintes
- The most important attraction of Nieul-lès-Saintes is the Romanesque church of Saint-Martin, which - with the exception of the transept added in the 19th century - can be attributed to the late 12th century. The greatly elongated two- bay choir area with an apse that is only divided into two sections shows large blind arches; the individual segments are separated from each other by services . The octagonal crossing tower , which functions as a bell tower, has sound openings in all directions. The west facade of the church, which is divided into two levels, shows a beautiful archivolt portal , with abstract geometric decorations on the inner arches. The outer arch has an unusual figurative decoration: instead of the 24 elders of the apocalypse , which are often depicted here, there is a - more secular - round dance of musicians and dancers arranged in pairs. The interior of the church, with a single nave and well-crafted masonry, is covered with a pointed barrel vault , which is interrupted in the area of the crossing by a domed vault with belt arch beams. The capitals in the crossing area show vegetable ornaments and mythical animals ( chimeras ). The church was classified as a monument historique in 1907 .
- A little outside of the village is a sunken wash house ( lavoir ) from the 19th century, which is protected from prying eyes .
- Another point of interest is located about two kilometers southwest and formerly by a moat surrounded ruins of the castle Nieul-lès-Saintes of the 14th century with later additions. Apart from the large drawbridge suspended from chains in front of the entrance portal , the towerless complex looks more like a fortified manor than a medieval castle . A separate pedestrian drawbridge at the side is rarely seen. The privately owned buildings were placed under protection as Monument historique in 1988.
Saint Martin Church
Wash house
Castle ruins
Drawbridges
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 997-999.
- Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , p. 216.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Church of Saint-Martin in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ^ Castle Nieul-lès-Saintes in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)